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NW Portland Aerial View, 1951

Wrapping up the week and the last two days’ posts of the Guild’s Lake Courts with this fine overhead view of NW Portland from 1951. The entire Guild’s Lake wartime housing complex can be seen in the photo center. Many other landmarks are visible including the old Vaughn Street ballpark. It appears that this photo was used for some preliminary sketches of a potential Fremont Bridge and freeway access through Northwest.

13 thoughts on “NW Portland Aerial View, 1951”

I found Montgomery Ward’s and the Forestry Building. I didn’t come to Portland to live until June, 2006, so I’m excited when I find something in these photos–even if it is something really large! My sons work at Provvista Specialty Foods on NW Guam. Where do you think that is, y’all?

they sketched the freeway to run right by the Civic / Multnomah Stadium, through Goose Hollow and under the Vista Bridge. I’m sure the Multnomah Club was not in favor of that plan as it would have put the freeway through the intersection of 18th and Salmon and the east end of their property.

Interesting perspective on the McClay/Forest Park area at a turning point in their re-forestation. Here the deciduous trees are in retreat while the evergreen species recover. If trees could talk I wonder what those young evergreens would have to say about their fellows floating in the waters below their viewpoints. Oregon logging is at it’s apex at about the time of this view. The highball cut and run logging will continue of coarse for many years but the log rafts will slowly diminish in number as will the logging wreckage clogging the watercourses and beaches as more enlightened forestry practices make their appearance. It is hard to overstate the huge gift to the city and the area represented by these parks. We must ever be on our guard keeping in mind the criminal rape of Bullrun . Yes. We do need fiber, lignons, cellulose and even more importantly jobs. Sustainable jobs. We also need to preserve. Balance folks, balance Just say’n

Full disclosure here. I made a good living and enjoy a comfortable retirement from my association with the forest products industry and make no mistake. I firmly believe in and support the wise use of resources. But every silver lining has a cloud kids,so take your umbrellas. Believe me. I’m going to open mine as soon as I hit the post button.

I would supplement Rod’s defense of responsible logging by pointing out that using wood in construction has the additional benefit of sequestering carbon. Of course, that only works if you chop down trees no faster than they can grow.

I can see my house… well a smudge that would be the roof. The offramp onto Yeon st goes right through it now. The sketches were way off. In the 1960’s the log rafts could still be seen. I watched a lot of the houses that are now warehouses being torn down and replaced. As kids we rode our bikes all around and used the empty lots and the foundation pads for what they would call skate parks now days. We didnt have knee pads or helmets then and there was real danger from the rebar. thanks for posting this picture. My memories are revived